For Kamau Nyabwengi and his partner Job Mwaura, the solution to Kenya’s and to some extent, Africa’s challenges in transport, lies in Matserve Msafiri. Matserve is an innovative android app that aims to help road safety safety in a country where road fatalities are too high.
App analyses speed to save life
Matserve Msafiri is a road safety application that analyses the speed of public transport vehicles helping to save lives on the road and improve the quality of service in public transport. It is integrated with a web application to address challenges faced by passengers, the Traffic Office department, bus and logistics companies and other stakeholders in the transport industry. The name Matserve Msafiri loosely means at the service of matatu users,the mass public transport vehicles used in Kenya.
Watchdog Role
Users of this app can report about reckless driving, overloading, over speeding among other challenges to mitigate accidents caused by human error and outright disregard for traffic laws. The app’s central features include Speed Check and Community Policing. Speed Check enables users to detect the exact speed at which the vehicle they are traveling in is moving. If over speeding an alert is generated which can be used by relevant authorities to act.
App can automate other transport businesses
The Community policing feature allows passengers to volunteer vital information on traffic illegalities with the Toa Sauti (speak out) feature allowing them to provide feedback to the PSV operators about the quality of service. This feedback is integrated in the web portal, providing a fully automated enterprise solution for passenger management, vehicle tracking, parcel booking and ticketing.
The men behind the idea
Before teaming up Job Mwaura to set a software solutions startup, Kamau Nyabwengi, who refers to himself as a budding entrepreneur worked as a consultant for start-ups. He established an online community, the Young Entrepreneurs Network Kenya to virtually link up entrepreneurs from different parts of the country. He has a Degree in Entrepreneurship.
His business partner on the other is a software developer with experience in open source software development. Before starting Matserve Msafiri, he spent his time developing software solutions for the financial sector.
Entrepreneurs to watch and invest in?
The two entrepreneurs’ efforts have not gone unnoticed. They are fresh from a competition called The Next Big Thing, making it to the finals in a competition with over 450 entries. They also received the 2013 Young Innovators Award in the Mobile Innovations category at the AITEC Summit that was themed Harnessing the power of ICT to Deliver Citizen Services & Improve the Quality of Life in East Africa. Success breeds success, these guys are ones to watch and if you want support. Matserve Msafiri is currently seeking $4000 funding on the 1% Club funding platform.
The app is available for free download from the Google App store for android devices, soon to be made available on all the other platforms.
